


A team that works

by lazyarrowwatcher



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Teamwork
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-13
Updated: 2015-04-13
Packaged: 2018-03-22 15:13:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3733558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lazyarrowwatcher/pseuds/lazyarrowwatcher
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Oliver, Felicity and Ray work together to bring down a meta human,Ray gets some insight on the Team Arrow.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A team that works

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Fan fiction. Characters do not belong to me just playing with them for a while. Work is unbeta so all mistakes are mine. Please let me know what you thing think.

Ray Palmer was still buzzing with adrenalin so he didn't feel the bumps, cuts and bruises Felicity was trying to mend from the beating he had took earlier. He couldn't believe how good it at had felt to beat on that guy who had been hurting Felicity. He didn't even mind the fact that he wasn't the really the one to save her. He was so in awe of the technology that he and Felicity had been working on and how it had work so fluently and efficiently with Oliver controlling it from Ray's office at Palmer Tech that he couldn't have minded at all. The suit had forced his body to move and react in away that should have been so foreign to him but seemed so natural and instinctual. One thing Ray learned from tonight, he was going to have to learn to fight.

He mind was already working a mile a minute as to what improvement he would still need to make to the suit. It needed to be lighter. The weight was delaying some of the reaction time and if he ever was caught again without power he needed to be able to move better in it. All these thought were flowing though his head and out his mouth so fast he's pretty sure no one is keeping up with him but that doesn't stop him going on and on about what worked and what didn't. That's just how Ray processed. Out loud. So he really wasn't at all offended when he asked Oliver how well the virtual reality interface systems was functioning and all he got was a blank stare.

Oliver looked between Felicity and Ray his face growing more and more confused. "What?"

Felicity snorted "He wants to know how it felt using the tech to control the suit," she said patiently."Oh.... Weird" Oliver answered.

Ray raised an eyebrow so he continued. "There's a delay... from when I move and the suit moves. Makes it hard to react. Also without feeling of impact I have a hard time judging how hard I'm hitting. Or when to stop. Killing someone unintentionally isn't exactly going to help our cause. Also the visual is too narrow. I can't see much except what's right in front you so I can't react to anything but what I see. And the audio sucks. I can hear you just fine but anything outside the suit is muffled. And well I'm at my best when I have all my senses..also you might want..."

"OK, I get it. The suit still need a lot of work." Ray interpreted still smiling brightly. "But still pretty cool right?"

Oliver gave a small smile and one nod. "Yeah, pretty cool."

"I really should get started on som..." Ray started to get up but Felicity quickly pushed back down on make shift med table.

"Not now Ray. Lets clean these cuts and see if I can find something for this electrical burn. I'm really going to have to stock up your medical supplies." Felicity said as she went back to clean his wounds.

Ray noticed the confidence in which she worked on him. "You're pretty good at this."

"Thanks I've had a lot of practice playing doctor with my boys." Oliver closed eyes and a small smile formed on his lips at her verbal gaffe. Felicity didn't seem to notice though and kept on talking "Diggle and Oliver are stubborn about the small stuff so I only get patch them up if its serious. Oliver usually suffers the worst of it but I don't have to worry about Diggle too much. I'm always patching Roy however. I'm pretty sure gets he gets hurt on purpose sometimes."

"I didn't think you noticed that, "Oliver said with a smile.

"Yeah, I try not to point it out to him because I don't want to embarrass him but it's kind of obvious, isn't it? And really I think it kind of sweet really."

Ray was confused. "Why? What's obvious," he asked. "Does he have like a crush on you or something."

Felicity laughed "No, nothing like that, well not in the way that you think anyway. It's just...." she pauses "well, he pretty much had to raise himself. His mom wasn't very motherly, I guess you could say, so the first time I had to patch him up he kind of look at me like I was an angel or something. He wasn't use to having anyone take care of him. I think that's why he's so close to all of us. We're his family now. All he wants is for Oliver to be proud of him, Diggle to respect him and me to baby him. He's a good kid." The smile faded from her eyes and Ray knew where her thoughts had turn.

"Hey," Oliver said getting her attention. "I'm going to get him out."

They looked at each other for a moment having a silent conversation until she nodded and turned away

  
"You all make a really good team it seems ," Ray said breaking the tension.

Felicity's smile was sad. "Yeah, we have our moments."

"No, I mean really. You guys have saved a lot of people."

"We couldn't save your fiance " Oliver said.

Ray looked at Felicity, but she refuse to look him in the eye. He wanted to be upset her but he really couldn't find a reason to be very mad. He pretty much knew Felicity had told Oliver about Anna. "That may be true but I never blamed you for that. You were just one man, up against an army and it was my job to protected her.

Oliver looked a little confused as he crossed his arms in front of him. "I just assumed you blame me for that seeing as how quickly you were ready to have me arrested."

"That wasn't about Anna. That wasn't why I was upset I was... I thought you had abandoned the city.You left an no one knew where you were and the city went to hell. I was a little....Well I was a little bitter about that." The rest was jealousy but Ray didn't fell the need to say this that out loud.

Felicity was the one that answered. "That wasn't his fault. He didn't want to leave it's just..."

"He died. At least, you thought he did," Ray finished.

"It's a little more complicated than that, Ray." She looked at Oliver for a moment his expression didn't change but Ray could see as he lowered his eyes from hers that he was giving her permission so Felicity continued. "A few months ago a friend of ours died."

"Yes I remember you telling me that."

Felicity's smile was sad. "Her name was Sarah and was more than a friend she was family. She was the woman in black. Before Laurel, I mean. She was Laurel's little sister. Before Sara had come back to Starling City she joined a group. A terrorist group I guess you can call them. I'm not going to go into great detail right now Ray. It's for your own protection but you just need to know this. Sara was murdered here in Starling City. The leader of this terrorist group held Oliver responsible because they knew he was the Arrow. Right before Christmas, he gave Oliver 48 hours to find Sara killer or they would start killing innocent people in Starling City. We ran out of time. We couldn't hand over her killer but Oliver couldn't let innocent people die. So he confessed to killing Sara. Told them that Sarah had wanted to die so she could leave them and be at piece. He challenged the leader to a duel. If Oliver won the blood debt owed to them would be replayed and the people starting city would be safe."

"I assume this was a tool to the death, " Ray said and Felicity nodded. "But you didn't win did you?" Rays said looking at Oliver.

Oliver looked increasingly uncomfortable as a conversation has continued. "I didn't win but I didn't die. I should have. But I guess I'm just too stubborn," he said with a small smile.

"Not funny Oliver," Felicity said unamused.

"So now these people are killing innocent people because you didn't die?"

"Not exactly," Oliver said. "The leader...he wants me to take over. He wants me to be his second in command, I guess you can say, and take over when he's ready to....retire. I declined"

"You declined." Ray was astonished. Oliver raised an eyebrow at him in question."I'm not trying to be judgmental. It's just it doesn't make much sense to me. You put yourself on the line every day for the city. You put yourself in front of an army last year and then you challenge this dangerous man to a fight to the death. And then when you didn't die, you came back here and you put on your hood and you keep trying to save the people in the city. Even now, when city has turned on you, here you are still trying to protect it by helping me. If it meant the killings would stop, why wouldn't you take the offer?"

"Because I asked him not to," Felicity broke in. "Because he's given enough. He has sacrificed enough. Because he shouldn't be forced to leave his home and his family and everything he is,everything he has works for, to become someone he's not. It isn't fair. He should have a life and a love and a future just like everybody else." Emotional colored her voice and tears began swelling in her eyes. "And now innocent people are dying because I couldn't bear to loss someone again. "

Oliver walk to her placing both hands on her shoulders grounding her. "Felicity, this is not your fault."

She stood motionless for a moment and then she reached up taking his face in her hands making him look her in the eye. "Then this is not your fault either," she whispered.

All the pieces fell into place for Ray just then. He could finally see the whole picture. "You asked him. You asked not to and he said he wouldn't go," Ray said. Felicity and Oliver pulled apart as quickly as that had come together. But the damage was done. For the first time in a long time he felt like a total idiot for not seeing it before. "The other day I asked if you had feelings for Oliver. You told me that you did, but that it was over - "

"I don't think I need to be here for this conversation" Oliver said quietly as he slowly made his way to the door.

"But you didn't tell me why. Why was it over?" Ray finished as though he hadn't heard him.

Felicity had turned her back to him and was playing with the keys on the keyboard in front of her as though she could find the answers in them. "It's not what you think."

"Really because what I think is that Oliver is in love with you," Ray said. He noticed that Oliver had reached the door but have not moved to open it. "And I'm pretty sure you're in love with him mostly because I know for sure you're not in love with me."

"Ray" Felicity tried to interrupt.

"And I also think that the only reason you two aren't together is because Oliver doesn't think he can do his mission and be with you. Am I wrong on any of these points?" Ray asked.

"You pretty much summed it up," Felicity said quietly.

Oliver open the door and walked out leaving them in privacy.

The room grew so quiet that Ray was pretty sure he could hear his heart beating.

"I'm sorry," Felicity finally spoke up after what seemed like an eternity. "I am so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you. I care about you very much."

"But you don't love me?"

She finally turned to look at him "I don't love you. Ray, please don't hate me."

"Couldn't even if I tried." Ray said suddenly feeling very free. "I'm not going to make this hard on both of us. And you did nothing wrong so don't apologize anymore. You gave us a shot. It didn't work out. I am still your friend. If you need me for anything I will be there. I promise."

"Thank you." A tear slid down her face. Ray wiped it away and then kissed her on her temple and wrapped his arms around her.

"What happens next," Felicity asked.

"You should go after Oliver make sure he stays hidden. Tomorrow you and I will get started on these upgrades. As far as what needs to be done to save the city I don't have answers. You and your team you're going to have to figure this out. Maybe you all will find the answers. But I'm here to help if you want it."

Felicity nodded pulling back giving them some space. "I know what the answer is. I just don't know it I have to strength to let him do it. Because this time... This time I don't think there's going to be another way."


End file.
